The radical challenge of Mary Shelley’s The Last Man
This article explores how social, political and ecological issues precipitated by a cholera pandemic are not only dramatized in Mary Shelley’s novel, The Last Man (1826), but also how these reflect the continued radicalization of her own life and ideas. I want therefore to argue for a reading of th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
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Föreningen Tidskriften Moderna språk
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Moderna Språk |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://publicera.kb.se/mosp/article/view/19717 |
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| Summary: | This article explores how social, political and ecological issues precipitated by a cholera pandemic are not only dramatized in Mary Shelley’s novel, The Last Man (1826), but also how these reflect the continued radicalization of her own life and ideas. I want therefore to argue for a reading of the novel that goes beyond its obvious dystopian dimensions. In particular, in a striking reversal, how the plague triggers not chaos, confusion and conflict, but opens up utopian spaces for active cooperation and political engagement. Instead of merely being a story of ineluctable human extinction, Mary Shelley offers a more challenging diagnosis of worldwide contagion and its historical implications.
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| ISSN: | 2000-3560 |